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When I saw coat @FLOTUS wore on her journey to witness heart-wrenching situation w #BorderChildren my 1st thought (after wtf) was: Doesn't she have a staff? How could any high-functioning aide allow his/her boss to undermine the essential goodness of her deed so grotesquely?

If you think Melania Trump wore a jacket that said “I really don’t care. Do you?” to visit border kids by accident, you’re utterly clueless. I’m willing to bet she takes special care with what she wears. This was an intentional middle finger.

This is a deliberate effort by the Trump administration to shift the news narrative from children and babies being torn from their parents and locked in cages to Melania’s wardrobe. DO NOT FALL FOR IT. https://t.co/0OEBTy2GKJ

But her spokeswoman Stephanie Grisham said the jacket was not designed to send a message.

"It's a jacket. There was no hidden message. After today's important visit to Texas, I hope this isn't what the media is going to choose to focus on," she said.

The First Lady left the White House quietly on Thursday morning and flew to Texas for the unannounced visit, a day after President Donald Trump signed an executive order keeping intact families who cross into the US illegally from Mexico.

The first lady met with officials and employees at the facility, where 55 children aged 12 to 17 are housed. Six of them were separated from their parents upon crossing the border, authorities told reporters.

Mrs Trump's first stop was the Upbring New Hope Children's Centre, a department of health and human services-overseen facility.

She was greeted by Upbring CEO Dr Kirk Senske, who said: "We treat them like our own children."

Mrs Trump asked many questions, seeking assurances that they are being properly cared for.

She was told the children are "usually distraught" when they arrive, but "when they see the environment they start relaxing", CNN reports.

"I'm glad I'm here and I'm looking forward to seeing and meeting children, but first of all let me begin to recognise each of you and thanking you for all that you do, for your heroic work that you do every day and what you do for those children," Mrs Trump said.

"I'd also like to ask you how I can help these children to reunite with their families as quickly as possible," she said.

Later, she toured a section of the facility where the children have bedrooms and was told they maintain their own rooms.

She visited a schoolroom at Upbring and chatted with about 20 young girls and boys who had school folders on their desks. She spoke to many individually through a translator, and as she walked out she told them: "Be kind and nice to each other, OK? Nice to meet you."

TRUMP REVERSES SHOCKING IMMIGRATION POLICY

Donald Trump has signed an executive order early this morning ending the process of separating children from families after they are detained crossing the US border illegally.

"We're going to have strong, very strong borders, but we're going to keep the families together," said Mr Trump yesterday.

He cited his daughter and his wife, saying: "Ivanka feels very strongly, my wife feels very strongly about it, I feel very strongly about it. I think anybody with a heart would feel very strongly about it. We don't like to see families separated."

Donald Trump has signed an executive order early this morning ending the process of separating children from families after they are detained crossing the US border illegally. Photo / AP

He said his order would not end the "zero-tolerance" policy that criminally prosecutes all adults caught crossing the border illegally. The order aims to keep families together while they are in custody, expedite their cases, and ask the Department of Defence to help house families.

Justice Department lawyers had been working to find a legal workaround for a previous class-action settlement that set policies for the treatment and release of unaccompanied children who are caught at the border.

Still, Mr Trump's order is likely to create a new set of problems involving length of detention of families, and may spark a fresh court fight.

More than 2000 children have been separated from their parents at the border in the past six weeks, and distressing images and audio have emerged of youngsters crying for their mothers and fathers.

World leaders, senior Democrats and Republicans, the United Nations and religious leaders have united to speak out against the damaging policy.